"After they left, the other Blood City Lords bared their greedy fangs at Hanhai and turned this place into a prison no one could ever escape." The youngest boy clenched his fists. "They all want a piece of Hanhai. They only decided to oversee it together because they haven't agreed on how to divide the spoils yet."
"The Saviors' departure was far too suspicious. I even suspect the other Blood City Lords orchestrated the whole thing. Hanhai isn't their only target—Xinhu is too," a middle-aged man who rarely spoke said gravely.
"Back to the matter at hand." The old man raised his head. "After the Saviors left, the other Blood City Lords took control of Hanhai and scripted the lives of every living being. They forbid any power beyond the limits of their rules from emerging here. Because we pretended to cooperate, and because we were formed from scraps of flesh from a corpse in Hanhai, we became the only Dream Ghosts allowed to exist."
Gao Ming studied the five people beside the conference table, trying to glean something from their expressions. "So you sided with the other Blood City Lords a long time ago?"
"We only pretended to cooperate," the little boy corrected him. "The Blood City Lords could kill us easily. Once we're dead, they can find something else to manage Hanhai, like your old adversary, Situ An."
At the mention of Situ An, even the remarkably composed old man's expression darkened. "We had already fooled the other Blood City Lords, but that fellow exposed a great many things."
"I need clear evidence that you aren't working with the Blood City Lords." Gao Ming was already prepared for a fight. He had brought every force he could muster, ready for either outcome.
"Evidence?" The five people at the